making, teaching, using… ceramics in daily life

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urns by Lucy Fagella

Photographing for my etsy shop… its gotta be a little different from the boring grey tones for me. Yes I know the grey has it’s place… the galleries, the books… but for etsy, I’m thinking color, and the appeal of it, for the general public.

The patterns on my biodegradable urns are made from paintings I have done on paper. I thought, wouldn’t be cool to use that same paper as background for the photos. I like the results!

I have been focusing on the biodegradable urns as I have the last two summers. The grasses, leaves and wildflowers are readily available… although I seem to be using less than I have in the past. I’m leaning more towards the patterns as I have always done in my porcelain pottery. I love patterns and optical illusions… these feel like they are coming together to give the quilt like feeling I love so much.

Here are some photos of the pieces at different stages of drying in the studio. Once they are completely dry I will photograph them for my etsy shop, LuciaUrns

It is not a regular ritual, like the day in, day out making of my functional pottery. Making my biodegradable urns is something that happens every couple of months (unless I have a special order). Making these urns is a whole different mindset from my functional foodie pottery. The first thing I have to do is clear the big work table… which in turn clears my head. I lay out the colored papers which I painted months before. I think about my forms and patterns, roll out the paper clay that I have made weeks before, and begin creating. The thing I love about these urns is the process… a totally different process than what I do daily in my studio. The results are immediate, the color, the texture, and the form. No kiln involved, no waiting a couple of weeks for the results!

This past summer was a very productive summer for me, designing new biodegradable urns. I started making biodegradable urns two summers ago using recycled paper, re-claimed clay and wild flowers, (see website). Although I liked the urns the timing wasn’t working so well, because the flowers that worked well were only available for short periods of time. This really limited the time of the year I could make these urns. I knew within the first year as they began to sell, that I had to make these differently.

My first love before pottery was printmaking, especially mono-printing. This past winter I took a workshop with Catherine White, she had us create mono prints and collage on paper. My love of mono-printing was revived! Two of my potter friends Mary Barringer, and Tiff Hilton, who also took the workshop decided we would meet at my studio monthly to continue the painting, and collage work. From there, I began to incorporate these mono-printed papers into my urns!

I have been busy taking photos, re-vamping my biodegradable urn page of my website, and setting up a new etsy shop, (both not quite ready yet, but very soon!) Here is a little preview of a few urns, from the Blue Series! More to come soon!

It is now March and I have been meaning to write this post since January.

January and February is my time to play catch up making urns. This year was no different, except much busier than other years. This is my 5th year in the cremation urn business. Making urns is very meaningful for me… I am making something for a very difficult time in a person’s life. Sometimes it is hard, I listen over the phone, or though emails, while a person is grieving, or put a hand on a shoulder when someone comes to the studio. Most times I’m sending out an urn through the internet, without knowing who the urn is for. So often I get an email after the urn was received… people are so grateful for a handmade object, something of beauty. When my parents died 12 years ago, it was all the kind gestures of others that helped get me through. It was also the beauty of nature, or art, that took me away, and soothed my soul. It was at that time I first thought about making urns. I hoped someday that I could help others get through the difficulty of losing someone you love, by creating something useful and beautiful. At the same time, do what I love most… make pots.

If you’re interested in reading more about my urns check out Studio Potter Winter 2009 and or The Crafts Report, November 2008

Here is a slide show of a large classic urn form in process. To see all the finished urns visit Lucia Pottery.